Jose Altuve still hoping Astros find way to bring back Marwin Gonzalez

Jose Altuve (27) and Marwin Gonzalez (9), celebrating after clinching the American League West two weeks ago, have seen the highs and lows of Astros in their Houston careers. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

>>>Browse through the photos to see how Houston Astros players spent their offseason by looking at their Instagram pages ...

Jose Altuve (27) and Marwin Gonzalez (9), celebrating after clinching the American League West two weeks ago, have seen the highs and lows of ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

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PHOTOS: How Astros spent their offseason, according to Instagram

Jose Altuve (27) and Marwin Gonzalez (9), celebrating after clinching the American League West two weeks ago, have seen the highs and lows of Astros in their Houston careers. ( Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle )

>>>Browse through the photos to see how Houston Astros players spent their offseason by looking at their Instagram pages ...

Jose Altuve (27) and Marwin Gonzalez (9), celebrating after clinching the American League West two weeks ago, have seen the highs and lows of ... more

Photo: Karen Warren, Staff

Jose Altuve still hoping Astros find way to bring back Marwin Gonzalez

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Astros are back and Jose Altuve was already inside his team’s clubhouse, on a first day that was officially devoted to pitchers and catchers.

It didn’t take long for the 2017 American League MVP to declare that he feels “great,” following offseason knee surgery.

It also didn’t take long for Marwin Gonzalez’s name to come up.

Altuve and Gonzalez are close friends and spent 2012-18 as Astros teammates. Altuve will spend the next six-plus weeks preparing for a March 28 Opening Day. Gonzalez, along with ex-Astro Dallas Keuchel and stars Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, is still waiting for his 2019 team.

“(Gonzalez) is still in the free agency. It might be hard to get him but not impossible,” Altuve said on a rainy Wednesday at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. “Maybe that’s what I’m waiting to see, if he comes back or not. You never know.”

Altuve tried to bring up Gonzalez’s baseball future during a one-on-one conversation with his friend. The former teammate declined to open up.

“The first time I tried to talk to him about this free agent stuff, he cut me off right away,” Altuve said. “He was like, ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ ”

Former key Astros Charlie Morton and Evan Gattis are also missing from the team’s 2019 clubhouse, while Lance McCullers Jr. is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

“Dallas and Marwin, they’re still in free agency. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Altuve said. “But I’m pretty sure they’re going to make their team better, wherever they play.”